The Conference
by JetWarrior
Summary: A meeting between two adults about one girl...


_LOL...welcome to another short, light-hearted one-shot, brought to you by JetWarrior. As you might imagine, this was originally supposed to be part of the "Randomness" story, but it was a bit too long for it, so I'm giving it its own publishing. Simple interaction between Professor Utonium and Ms. Keane. Here you go; hope you like it!_

_(By the way, I don't own the characters; I can't even claim their first names)._

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He usually hated these things. Parents walk into these meetings only to basically be told how they've failed as parents, or how their children have failed as children...it was ridiculous! Which mysterious figure could be so sadistic to think up the idea of Parent-Teacher Conferences? Better yet, what parent could possibly be so masochistic to actually partake in them?

Yes, Professor Utonium usually hated these things. _Usually_. But this time, it was slightly different. This time, the conference wasn't happening because his girls were doing something wrong; it was because one of them was doing something right. Very right, it seemed; so right, in fact, that they wanted to move her up a grade. This was what the Professor was going to discuss with their teacher.

And so this time, when he walked into the huge classroom with furniture that came no higher than his knees, the Professor had a proud smile on his face. The room seemed much brighter than usual, and he noticed how colorful it was, what with all the posters on the walls mixed with the kids' artwork (most of which was drawn by one of his daughters). He took a seat, and looked upon the girls' teacher, Ms. Keane. She was busy writing something in that notebook of hers, as she always was before these conferences. Having once been her classmate, the Professor watched her grow up from a spunky little girl to a well-rounded woman; she gained a love of learning at a very young age, and as she grew older it blossomed into a love of teaching. The Professor could think of no one else he'd rather have teaching his daughters than the woman sitting in front of him.

Ms. Keane suddenly looked straight at the Professor, whose train of thought was suddenly cut off, and who began blushing as though he had been caught doing something wrong. It came and went, however, and he cleared his throat.

"Hello, Ms. Keane."

"Hello, Professor! Thank you so much for coming."

"My pleasure," he said with a smile. Ms. Keane returned the smile, then got down to business.

"As you know, it's quite common for kindergartners to have an insatiable need to explore the world around them, but not often do we have kindergartners who are as bright and knowledge-hungry as Blossom. So, the school has offered to move her up to the First Grade, just to see how she would cope; it might not even be such a stretch to bump her up to second grade!" Ms. Keane said this with an excitedness in her voice that the Professor hadn't heard from her in a long time.

"Wow! Do you think Blossom could really excel in First Grade?" The Professor inquired, already knowing the answer.

"Of course! Personally, I think Blossom could excel in college, but that's only my observation. But," she stressed, "it might be important to look at how it would affect both her and her sisters to be separated."

Professor Utonium nodded. Of course, this would be the biggest obstacle for Blossom to overcome, should she be moved up a grade. How would it effect Bubbles and Buttercup to know that their sister would always be a year ahead of them; more importantly, how would it effect Blossom knowing she wouldn't have her sisters around her for moral support? Pokey Oaks Kindergarten was just that: a kindergarten. If Blossom were moved up a grade, it also meant she'd have to switch schools. How would the dynamic of the team be effected? Would they have to install another hotline? There were so many factors to consider. And then, of course...

"That's very true," the professor stated. "It might also be important to look at how going to a different school would effect her duties to the city. And even more, how it might effect her to suddenly be forced to have a new teacher...or rather, to suddenly not have you as her teacher."

Ms. Keane looked surprised; of course she would have a new teacher, it came with switching grades! It would be a bit of an adjustment, but why would it be such an important issue?

"I don't think I follow you, Professor...."

"Well," the professor began, "I'm not sure if you're aware of the fact, but the girls think the world of you, and really, I can't blame them. Since they first met you, you've always been a positive force in their lives; you've always been understanding of their gifts (more so than should be expected of a teacher), and you've always been a source of encouragement for them. You've nurtured them as a group, and more importantly, you've also given time to each of them individually, getting to know them as Blossom and Bubbles and Buttercup instead of only The Powerpuff Girls. As a matter of fact, I'd even go so far as to say you're their biggest female role-model, which is something that is painfully missing in their lives. To take that away from Blossom might do more harm than any of us realize. Plus," he added as an afterthought, "I trust you more than almost any other person in this city. I don't know if I want to be forced to trust someone else so soon!" The Professor meant it as a joke, but his audience wasn't laughing. Actually, it was quite the opposite.

To say Ms. Keane was speechless would be an understatement; she almost couldn't breathe. She knew that the girls looked up to her, but not until the Professor laid it out so plainly did she comprehend her role in their lives. It almost moved her to tears that the girls, as well as the Professor himself, thought so highly of her; her eyes were watering, and she was struggling to hold in the sniffle that threatened to give her emotions away. She stayed quiet for a bit longer, trying to keep her emotions in check, before Professor Utonium broke the silence.

"But...I suppose the decision really lies with Blossom. Perhaps we should let her choose...." He said this with very slight smirk, hoping that the statement would illicit a certain response, and he got it when Ms. Keane suddenly exclaimed, "Wait!...Umm...perhaps it would be foolish to move her up. I mean, think of what it would do the girls to be split apart! So maybe...we should just...well...we should just keep her here and let her advance normally," Ms. Keane finally got it out. The Professor wasn't shocked; in fact, he was quite happy with the result. He thought it best that the girls stick together, and he thought it best that the woman across from him remain their teacher for as long as possible.

"Hmmm...sounds reasonable...."

Ms. Keane laughed. "Oh, don't be coy! You wanted them to stay in this class as much as I did!"

The Professor smiled sheepishly. "Okay, maybe I did...but can you blame me?"

"No, I suppose I can't...." replied Ms. Keane. The two looked at each other, sharing a smile and a slight blush before the Professor cleared his throat and stood up.

"Well, thank you, Ms. Keane, for discussing this very serious matter with me," he said with a huge, playful smile. Ms. Keene played along.

"Absolutely, Professor Utonium. Matters such as this require the utmost attention." She could hardly keep in her laugh as she walked him to the door. The Professor turned to her and stuck out his hand, which she promptly shook.

"But really, thank you, Sandra."

"Of course, John, any time."

The two held the handshake just a bit longer and shared one more blush before The Professor slowly retracted his hand and walked out the door.

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_Done! Hope you liked it! By the way, I know some folks don't like using first names for the Professor and Ms. Keane, but of all the ones I've ever come across, John and Sandra just seem to fit the best (they also seem to be one of the oldest, and I do like my old-skool). It's not canon in the least, but I've decided to go with it. Those names may or may not appear in future fics of mine, we'll see. Anyways...thanks for reading! Let me know what you think!_


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